The Sheriff of Miami-Dade county is speaking out against Miami’s proposal to celebrate the launch of GTA 6 by decking out the city in advertisements for the highly-anticipated game, arguing that it glorifies crime and undermines the efforts of law enforcement.
Grand Theft Auto 6 takes place in Vice City, a fictional version of Miami, Florida. Rockstar took pains to faithfully recreate Miami’s most iconic locales and architecture within the game, with fans already spotting a few real-life locations in the title’s newest trailers.
In late August, local news outlets reported that Miami-Dade County officials had spoken with Rockstar Games about potential plans for a Grand Theft Auto 6-themed takeover of Miami, which included ideas like wrapping the Metro line with Vice City branding, creating Vice City manhole covers, and decking out the Miami International Airport with ‘Welcome to Vice City’ signage.
While nothing has been formally approved, it seemed like the city was gung-ho for a partnership with the biggest game of the year… but now, the Miami-Dade county sheriff is bringing those ideas to a screeching halt.
Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz and Commissioner Juan Carlos Bermudez believe that celebrating Grand Theft Auto — a game series famous for allowing players to engage in criminal activity — in such a way would essentially promot a fictionalized, crime-ridden version of their city.
“Grand Theft Auto is a video game franchise built around criminal activity. Its fictional world includes murder, robbery, drug trafficking, carjacking, violence against law enforcement, and other conduct that the men and women of the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office work every single day to prevent,” Cordero-Stutz said, per NBC Miami 6.
“At a time when law enforcement is working every day to reduce violent crime, prevent robberies and car thefts, combat drug trafficking, and build stronger relationships between our deputies and the communities we serve, I believe we need to seriously consider the message we send when our own government promotes a fictional identity centered around many of those same crimes.”
“I still cannot believe that we are even considering temporarily rebranding important County assets, including Miami International Airport, as ‘Vice City Airport,'” Bermudez added. “Miami-Dade County has spent decades building a reputation as a world-class destination for tourism, business, investment, and opportunity. We should be promoting the Miami-Dade we have worked so hard to build, not a fictional version of our community defined by crime and violence.”
It’s unclear what the future of Miami’s GTA 6 takeover will look like, now that the county sheriff has spoken out against the idea… but with the title shaping up to be one of the biggest releases in video game history, it certainly seems like a profitable venture, should it actually work out.
The sheriff isn’t the only one balking at GTA 6’s November 19 launch; spouses across social media have also kicked off a heated debate after claiming that playing the game, which features a relationship mechanic between dual protagonists Jason and Lucia, is tantamount to cheating.
Virginia (she/her) is IGN’s News Editor. With ten years of experience reporting on games and entertainment, she’s got a storied background in the fighting game community, influencer news, and viral online trends. Find her on Twitter at @TheeMissGlaze.